Live Life Like a Kung Fu Master

Live Life Like a Kung Fu Master is William Moy’s personal invitation to become your teacher or “sifu,” as he presents over twenty attributes/techniques that will contribute to living a life made better by possessing Kung Fu. Attributes such as balance, structure, distance awareness, relaxation and traveling the shortest route between two points are presented both in terms of self-defense and in making an impact on your daily life—at home, school, work, business and social encounters. The text also features positional sketches drawn by William, as well as links to a number of videos in which William demonstrates physical techniques for students to model.  

William is joined on this literary Kung Fu journey by this long-time student and disciple, multi-award-winning author Paul Volponi. In turn, the co-authors are joined by several renowned martial artists, including Sammo Huang, Karen Sheperd, Grandmaster Tak Wah Eng, Grandmaster Doc-Fei Wong and Sifu Leo Imamura. A score of contributors such as basketball Hall of Famer Dave Cowens, two-time Olympic Gold medalist Kayla Harrison, glass-ceiling breaking baseball pitcher Ila Borders, famed tightrope walker Denis Josselin and World Scrabble Champion Joel Wapnick discuss how the attributes of Kung Fu relate to their many successes.

The term “Kung Fu” actually translates as "time and effort equals a skill." That's why you see establishments with names such as Kung Fu Bread and Kung Fu Tea. These proprietors are not trumpeting their ability to fight. Rather, they're saying, we put in the time to study and learn our craft, and the result is that we are masters in our own arena—baking bread or brewing tea. In Asian culture, people who are said to have "good Kung Fu" have a handle on their lives. They are honest, direct, kindly and self-assured. These are values more highly prized than the ability to fight.

What’s the parallel between these prized qualities and the ability to physically defend yourself like a martial arts Kung Fu master? Kung Fu, especially Wing Chun Kung Fu, is based on a center-line theory of taking the shortest path, a straight line between two points, in defending yourself. It is also based on calmness and relaxation, enabling the practitioner to feel and quickly interpret incoming forces—therefore, bringing about a swifter and more focused reaction. Cultivating such abilities will allow you to transfer their martial benefits onto daily situations in your personal, social, and business interactions.

William Moy’s view of the teacher/student relationship is a simple one: “Your sifu’s role is to help you find your own Kung Fu.” Hence, there are no cookie-cutter students. Each journey will be inherently different depending upon the individual student’s physical attributes, personality and goals. In this very patient art, there are no failures, just students continuing on a path to their desired destination.
 

William Moy has been a Kung Fu Sifu for over a quarter of a century to more than several thousand students. His lineage is of the highest martial pedigree. William’s father, Moy Yat, was an elite student and confidant of the famed Yip Man, the protagonist of four major film releases grossing over $240-miliion combined. Moy Yat was also a junior student to Bruce Lee during that period in China. William is currently the titular head of slightly over seventy schools. In the US—New York, Florida, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Virginia, Washington DC, California, Texas, Nebraska, New Jersey, and Georgia. Internationally, there are several schools spanning the width of Canada, a pair in Brazil, one in Mexico and one in Spain.

Paul Volponi is the multi-award-winning author and journalist of nearly twenty books. His work is read in countless schools (universities, high school and middle schools) and English classes across this country. He has been the recipient of a dozen American Library Association honors, and a sought after speaker at professional conferences. His novel Black and White is read alongside To Kill A Mockingbird in many classrooms, while his novel The Final Four is a perennial read by many institutions in conjunction with the Men’s NCAA Basketball Tournament. Paul has held press credentials since 1996 and has written major pieces on luminaries ranging from Alfred G. Vanderbilt to George Steinbrenner to Tom Kenny (the voice of SpongeBob). Paul has written alongside and shared the stories of Kentucky Derby-winning jockeys, adolescent inmates on Rikers Island (the world’s biggest jail), and people who sought shelter in the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina. He is recognized for his riveting narrative voice in both fiction and non-fiction.